Lucy Van Pelt: A Lost Cause (Part 2)
by HPDrummerman
Summary: All of the PEANUTS gang reunite back home after learning about Lucy's death. Charlie Brown and Violet ponder a relationship together. Linus and Rerun also come to town, but don't tell their parents because they haven't decided to go to Lucy's funeral yet. Sally and Schroeder announce their engagement to their friends, which Charlie Brown already knew about beforehand.
1. Chapter 1

Lucy Van Pelt: A Lost Cause (Part 2)

 **CHAPTER 1: CATCHING UP WITH FAMILY**

 _Sparkyville, USA 5:00 PM_

Charlie had given Violet a ride to her hotel in his rental car. She wanted to hook up with him for dinner later that night, as the next day, the two of them were going to be busy catching up with their friends. After dropping her off and promising to come back after settling in at his folk's house, he took off for his old home. He saw the old neighborhood. It hadn't changed too much. He saw the old ballfield, which was covered in snow due to it being winter. He also drove by the Van Pelts home. He saw Larry snow blowing the driveway. He decided to pay his condolences before continuing on.

"Hey, Mr. V!" Charlie called to him.

"Charlie?" he said. "Well how are you doing, son?" He walked up to shake his hand.

"I'm pretty good, sir," he said. "Came back for your daughter's funeral, and to catch up with old friends. By the way, you have my condolences."

"Thank you, son," he said, somberly. "I never told Lucy or the wife this, but I was glad when you finally stood up to Lucy that day in high school. Linus had told me about it. I know you had a hard time with my daughter, and I'm so sorry about the abuse you suffered at her hands."

"Thank you, sir. I had just got back in town. I actually flew in with Violet from California and…"

"You mean Violet Gray? I haven't heard from her or her family in years since they left town all those years ago."

"Yeah, she lives in California like I do. Only she's in LA and I'm in Vallejo, not too far from San Francisco."

"Your parents told us about your restaurant you run out there. I'm happy you proved my daughter wrong."

"Sir?"

"I have heard her talk bad about you, saying you would never be successful and forever be unloved. These days I wonder how me and Lacey ended up with such an insufferable brat for a daughter. I think maybe we should have… Never mind. Did your dad tell you about Lucy's passing?"

"Actually, it was Linus that informed me that she died. Dad only filled me in on how she did it."

"Did he say anything about coming to town for her funeral to you? Linus doesn't really talk to us much these days. And Rerun doesn't talk to us at all."

"He hasn't said anything to me about whether he was coming or not. Whatever is going on between you and your sons is none of my business."

"I understand. Anyway, I won't hold you up. Welcome home, Charlie. Give your parents my love."

"Will do, sir. I'll see you at the funeral." And Charlie drove off toward his old house.

When he got there, it looked the same, except for some new siding that his father said they recently installed. In the backyard was Snoopy's old doghouse, unchanged from when he was alive. The red paint was flaking off a little, but otherwise still intact. Charlie one day promised that when he was in town one of those days when he had some time off that he would grab all of Snoopy's old belongings and bring them to California with him. He rang the doorbell and a blond-haired older woman answered. It was his and Sally's mother, Maureen.

"Charlie, baby," said his mother. "You made it."

"How are you, mom?" he said as he went in for a hug.

"I'm fine, dear," she said. "How are you doing? You know, with Lucy's suicide and all?"

"I'm actually okay, mom. I'm sorry she ended up like she did, but I'd be lying if I said she didn't put this on herself. As far as I'm concerned, she took the easy way out. Sorry if I don't seem sensitive about her passing, but this girl caused me so much grief over the years, it's hard to mourn her."

"I totally understand, baby. And I don't blame you at all."

"Thanks, mom. You know when Sally and Schroeder are supposed to come?"

"Their flight is supposed to touch down any minute. Why you ask?"

"I actually have a dinner date with an old friend. You remember Violet Gray?"

"Oh my gosh! Is she back, too?"

"Yeah. We flew into town together. It turns out she lives in California, as well. But she's in LA. She also found out about Lucy's passing and we bumped into each other when I was on layover at LAX. It turns out she and Patty stayed in touch over the years."

"Wow. Well I look forward to seeing her again. Your old room is waiting. Sally and Schroeder will be staying at a hotel downtown."

"Okay, thanks, mom. Dad must be down at the barber shop."

"He is. You know how your father loves to chat it up there." And Charlie brought his luggage into his old room. His parents turned it into a guest room with a larger bed and also added a computer desk with computer for folks to use when they visit.

After cleaning up and getting dressed, Charlie went back to the hotel where Violet was staying. She stepped out in a sleek black dress with matching high heels. He thought she looked stunning. He hopped out of the car and held the door for her to get in. Then they took off for Ricardo's, a fine-dining establishment right on the river.

Later at Ricardo's, the two of them continued to catch up on what they've been up to.

"So, Peppermint Patty and Marcie actually fell out?" Violet asked.

"Yeah," Charlie responded. "As you may remember, Patty wasn't the brightest student in town, to say the least. You could say she made me look like Einstein by comparison."

"Ha ha!" laughed Violet. "I never thought you would ever joke about yourself, Charlie. I am still amazed at the change in you."

"Well, Violet, you were right about many things about me," said Charlie. "I had a lot of personality issues that I needed to work on. I even started getting better before my falling out with Lucy."

"Well, you definitely changed for the better, dear."

"Thank you. Anyway, getting back to what I was talking about, Marcie took it personally when Patty announced she was quitting school. Not too long after what happened with Lucy and I, the two of them were about to end their friendship acrimoniously…

 _ **Twenty years earlier…**_

 _At Sparkyville High School, Peppermint Patty and Marcie were walking fast. Patty was ahead of Marcie, as the two teen girls were upset. Charlie Brown and Linus watched as the fight ensued._

 _"You're making a big mistake, sir!" argued Marcie._

 _"Well look at me, Marcie!" Patty exclaimed. "I'm not getting any smarter. I'm getting dumber. The teachers don't want to help me. One of them even said I was beyond help! I am doomed to be stupid! So why should I stay in school anyway. I'm 16 now, and legally, I can quit school if I want to. It's different from when we were kids and stayed on Snoopy's doghouse thinking it was Chuck's guest cottage. Now I can leave without repercussions!"_

 _"But what do you gain from leaving school?" Marcie reasoned. "Absolutely NOTHING! That's what!"_

 _"I'm not gaining anything from staying, either. My dad still works late, he's just breaking even every week. I just got hired at that fast food joint, I figured I'd help bring in money to our household. You see? I'm not just quitting school to do nothing. I'm joining the workforce to help my dad. Besides that, if I stay, by the time I graduate, I'll be old enough to buy beer!"_

 _"Okay, Patricia," said Marcie, now getting serious. "It's your choice. But know this. If you choose to quit school. You can consider our friendship over. Because I tried to help, but you wouldn't study. I tried to get you to read over the summer, but you played baseball instead. If you quit school, all of my efforts to help you would have been in vain. All I ask is that you not do it right away. Think it over until the end of the day. THEN make your decision. But I advise you to choose wisely." And Marcie left to go to class. Peppermint Patty went to hers as well. Charlie Brown and Linus, who watched but remained silent, followed suit._

 _ **Back to the present**_

"Well at the end of the day, Patty turned in her form to leave school, and hers and Marcie's friendship came to an end that day," Charlie said, finishing his story. He took a sip from his wine before continuing. "After a while, Marcie made other friends, and she and Franklin became an item not too long after that."

"I figured those two would hook up," said Violet with a smile. "When she wasn't pining for you, she was dancing with him quite a bit."

"Yeah by high school, I guess she figured it was best to have me as a friend than to not have me at all," said Charlie. "Not too long after college, they both got married and had two kids. Like Linus, Franklin also went into the military. And he still works for the army as a staff sergeant at an army base in Baltimore, where they live. Marcie got a job at a technology institute. But the two of them still make time for their kids, although they have a nanny to take care of them when they're at their jobs."

"Marcie didn't invite Patty to their wedding?"

"Sadly, no. There is still bad blood between the two of them. As for Patty, she finally dropped the 'Peppermint' nickname and now goes by Tricia. She eventually went back to school and got serious about finally finishing school, earning her GED in the process. She managed to do that before Marcie and Franklin's wedding. She tried to reach out to Marcie, but I think Marcie figured too much time had passed between the two of them, she didn't even respond to Tricia's messages. Eventually, Tricia stopped even trying to get in contact with her. I talked to Franklin recently about this, and he told me Marcie never got over that 'betrayal' from her quitting in the first place."

"So where is Tricia now?"

"Would you believe she and Roy hooked up? They still live here in town. Tricia works at a local gym, and Roy is a mechanic. They are also engaged to be married, but they are waiting until they have enough money for a big wedding and a new place. She's also determined to do it better than her former best friend. Always the competitor, Tricia Reichardt."

"That's too bad about them ending their friendship. I wonder if Marcie and Franklin are coming for the funeral, as well."

"They might, Vi. But don't expect Marcie and Tricia being particularly warm to each other. They could actually rival the drama between Linus, Rerun and their parents."

"How about Pig Pen? Is he still here, too?"

"He is. And you will be happy to know he is now clean as a whistle these days. He's a lawyer here in town. And Frieda runs a clothing boutique downtown. As far as I know, those two are still single, like us."

"You know, Charlie, I think it was destiny that we reconnected at LAX. In spite of what I said as a kid and how I acted, I always liked you."

"You did?"

"Uh huh. And this isn't the wine talking, either. Charlie, you were a cute boy then, and you grew into a handsome, successful man."

Charlie couldn't believe it. He wondered if Violet was flirting with him. It seemed like it.

"As I said at LAX, any woman would be lucky to have you as a boyfriend. I was wondering, would you be opposed to a long-distance relationship?"

"What are you getting at, Violet?"

"Well, let's just say with you living in Vallejo, California, and, just for an example, let's just say there was a girl you liked living in New York City. Would you be able to handle a long-distance relationship with that girl even though you both are spread a country apart from each other?"

"Maybe. Long-distance relationships are tricky but can work."

"Well, how about a girl 300 miles away south of where you are? A girl you knew as a kid, with long, black hair, brown eyes, tall, yet curvy, and has a great personality?"

Charlie raised an eyebrow. "Violet Gray, are you asking to date me?"

"I think I am, Charlie Brown. Let's just see where it goes first. If it's meant to be, we'll go from there. If not, well, we'll see. Are you game?"

Charlie didn't know what to think. He was attracted to Violet, but could he date her with them being miles apart, yet still in the same state?

"I think we can try it out," he said. "Let's see where it goes."

"Exactly," agreed Violet. And she leaned in and delivered a soft kiss on Charlie's lips. He liked it. Her lips were soft and moist. And when she kissed him, it felt very passionate. He thought to himself that never in a million years would he be kissing Violet Gray, beyond a peck on the cheek, that is. But here they were, at Ricardo's, passionately kissing each other.

When they parted, she asked, "How did you like that, baby?"

"Wow!" said Charlie. "That felt good."

"Well, that's just a taste of what's to come. I do care about you a lot, Charlie. And I hope we can be together even longer. But let's see where this goes, first." And Charlie paid the tab and the two of them left Ricardo's. They both had a long day ahead the next day. And Charlie would start the day out as Violet's new boyfriend.

 **NEXT CHAPTER: PEANUTS REUNITED**


	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER 2: THE REUNION FOR THE AGES**

The next day, Charlie picked up Violet and the two of them went to the union building where the rest of the gang was meeting up. Violet had talked to Patty and she and her husband, Mark Lucas, would be there setting up. Charlie called Tricia and Roy and let them know that he had just got in town. They would be at the union building for the reunion, as well. Nobody knew if Linus and/or Rerun would show up because of the drama behind their family and the hatred the brothers had for their sister. Charlie, for his part, was hopeful that both of them would be there, but at the same time, didn't expect them to come, either.

When they arrived at the union building, they were immediately greeted by Patty. "Violet! Charlie! It's so great to see you two!" They all hugged each other. Patty had become a doting wife and stay-at-home mother to twins. Mark, her husband, worked at a computer company and made about six figures, allowing Patty to care for the children.

"Well come in, you two," she said. And Charlie and Violet went in and saw the place decorated with streamers and balloons. Refreshments were placed on the bar. They saw Patty's husband, Mark, hanging up a cluster of balloons.

"Mark, honey, look who's here!" announced Patty. Mark came over to greet them.

"Charlie!" he said. "Great to see you again, man!" And they shook hands.

"How have you been, Mark?" greeted Charlie.

"And the lovely lady with him is my childhood bestie," said Patty.

"You're Violet Gray?" said Mark.

"That's me," said Violet. "It's finally nice to meet you, Mark. Patty has told me a lot about you."

"Hopefully nice things," joked Mark.

"Oh you!" said Patty, playfully swatting her husband. Turning her attention back to Charlie and Violet, she asked, "So how did you two end up hooking up together?"

"We ran into each other at LAX," said Charlie. "I was on layover from Vallejo. I still own the restaurant. And we caught up all day yesterday."

"I noticed the two of you are holding hands," said Patty with an eyebrow raised.

"Well, Patty," Violet began, "since the both of us were single, and Michael ended up playing for the same team, so to speak, Charlie and I decided to see where the two of us dating would go."

"Wow, I am so happy for you two," said Patty. "Secretly, I thought you two looked cute together when we were kids."

"I thought so, too," agreed Violet, kissing Charlie on the cheek. Just then someone else walked in.

"We're not late, are we?" It was Sally and Schroeder.

"Sally," said Charlie, seeing his sister and future brother-in-law. "So glad to see you!"

"I'm glad to see you too, big brother," she said. The two siblings hugged each other.

"So good to see you, Charlie," said Schroeder.

"Schroeder how are you, man?" said Charlie, shaking his hand.

"Pretty good," he replied. "Just busy teaching those high school kids about anything besides what's on the radio. And still playing with the Philly Orchestra."

Sally and Schroeder noticed the dark-haired woman with Charlie. "Hey, big brother," Sally began, "who's this lady with you?"

"You already know her, guys," Charlie announced. "It's Violet. We ran into each other on the way back home at LAX."

"No way!" said Schroeder. "It's been a long time, Violet. Good to see you."

"You too, Schroeder," said Violet, as she hugged him and Sally. "So, are you still playing Beethoven?"

"You know it!" he said with a smile. "But I am also playing some Bach, Mozart, and some of the other great composers."

"Hey Sally, Schroeder," greeted Patty. "So glad to see you two!"

"How are you, Patty?" asked Sally.

"Pretty good, Sally," said Patty.

"Will we see those adorable twins of yours?" asked Violet.

"One of these days, I promise," Patty replied. At that moment, more people started showing up. Pig Pen came in first, followed by Shermy, then Frieda, 5, 3, and 4. Then Tricia and Roy walked in a few minutes later.

"Oh my god, Chuck!" she said, seeing her old friend. "I am so glad to see you!" She immediately hugged her former crush.

"How have you been, Tricia?" asked Charlie.

"I've been doing great, Chuck," said Tricia. "How about you? How's life in Californ-I-A?"

"Great, Tricia," he said. "I'm still running the restaurant, things are great in Vallejo, plus I reunited with this lovely lady here." He pointed to Violet. Tricia didn't recognize her.

"Do we know each other?" asked Tricia.

"It's Violet Gray," said Charlie.

"How have you been, Tricia?" asked Violet.

"Wow! It's great to see you, Vi!" said Tricia.

"Charlie how are you?" said Roy, greeting his former campmate.

"Great, Roy," said Charlie. "I see you and Tricia are happy."

"We are, man," said Roy with a smile. "Tricia has come a long way since school. She's become a hit at the gym as a personal trainer. I'm about to become manager at the shop. Things are going pretty well."

"Well I'm happy for you two," Charlie replied.

"Thanks, man," said Roy. As everyone was enjoying the reunion, all of the sudden everybody in the room gasp at who entered. When Charlie saw who entered, unlike everyone else who was shocked, he smiled.

"Hey, is this a party or what?" asked Linus, who was with Audrey and Rerun.

"LINUS!" squealed Patty. "I'm so glad you came!" And Patty ran to hug Linus.

"And how are you, Audrey?" Patty asked.

"Aside from my feet hurting from being pregnant, I'm good, Patty," said Audrey.

"I'm glad to see you too, Rerun," Patty continued, hugging Rerun.

"I'm glad to see you, Patty," Rerun responded. They made their way through the crowd of people greeting everyone until they reached Charlie and Violet.

"Now here's the guy I've been looking for," said Linus with a smile. "How you doing, Charlie?"

"Great, Linus," he said, hugging his best friend. "Man, I'm glad to see you."

"Me too, Charlie," agreed Linus.

"Hi, Charlie," greeted Audrey.

"Audrey, lovely as ever," said Charlie, delivering a hug to her. "You taking care of that baby to come?"

"As much as I can," Audrey said.

"And how are you doing, Rerun?" Charlie asked to the youngest Van Pelt.

"You know me, Charlie, just maintaining and living," he said as he hugged his friend.

"It's so good to see you, Linus," said Violet.

"Violet Gray?!" said a bewildered Linus. "You haven't been seen since our grade school days!" The two of them hugged.

"Linus, you are the only one who recognized me," Violet observed. "Everyone else had to look again to see me, except for Patty, who I kept in touch with."

"Well, I always recognize faces, no matter how grown up they've become," Linus stated.

"Violet and I hooked up at LAX on our way here," said Charlie.

"I've been living in Los Angeles since I moved away from Sparkyville," Violet added. "Running into Charlie was fate."

"I believe it, seeing how you two are holding hands," Linus observed.

"We figured since we were both single and not seeing anyone, we'd try dating each other," said Violet.

"Well you'll get no better guy than Charlie Brown," said Linus.

"Thanks, Linus," said Charlie. "Oh, are you going to go to the funeral?"

"I haven't made up my mind on that, yet," Linus said, getting serious. "I did promise Audrey that I at least come to see our friends beforehand. But as far as the funeral, I don't know if I'm ready to deal with my parents yet."

"I understand," Charlie stated. "I saw your father last night after I arrived. I told him what's going on between you, Rerun, and them was none of my business and was between you guys. And I won't try to make you go if you don't want to. I know firsthand the abuse you endured at Lucy's hands."

"I know you do, Charlie," said Linus. "Anyway, let's not talk about our dysfunctional family dynamic today. Tonight, we have fun!"

"You'll get no argument there!" said Violet.

"Linus!" It was Sally coming over to see her former Sweet Babboo. "It's so good to see you." She hugged him.

"How are you doing, Sally?" said Linus.

"I'm doing pretty good," she said.

"Are you and Schroeder going to make the announcement here?" asked Charlie.

"Later tonight, big brother," Sally stated.

"What announcement?" asked Violet.

"Sally and Schroeder are announcing their engagement to wed," Charlie said to his girlfriend.

"Really?!" said an excited Violet. "Congratulations, Sally."

"Thank you, Violet," said Sally, "but keep it under your hat. We want to make the announcement."

"No problem, Sally, I won't say anything," Violet promised.

"Oh, that reminds me," Linus said, "I got to make my own announcement." Linus walked up to a microphone set up for karaoke for later that night.

"Excuse me, everyone!" he started. "I know everyone is here for Lucy's funeral in a few days, but I have one request. Do NOT tell my parents we're here. I don't want them to know right now. I will tell them later, but for right now, I want to remain incognito to them. And that goes for Audrey and Rerun, too."

Everyone agreed not to say anything to the Van Pelts about Linus, Audrey, and Rerun being in town. They all knew how volatile the situation was with Linus, Rerun, and their parents. He rejoined his friends, wife, and brother when someone made an announcement of their own.

"Well, look who's here," said Pig Pen in the crowd. "The Armstrongs!"

"Wait, what?!" said a shocked Tricia. And sure enough, Franklin and Marcie walked into the union building, and started greeting everyone. Tricia hadn't seen her former best friend in years after their falling out. She tried to reach out to her, but Marcie never answered; not even a "Don't try to get a hold of me again"-type of message. Nothing. So, Tricia moved on with her life, reserved to the fact that Marcie didn't want anything to do with her, let alone see her. She was worried how she would react when they inevitably would bump into each other at this party.

 **NEXT CHAPTER: LARRY VAN PELT'S SECRET PLAN**


	3. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER 3: LARRY'S LAMENT**

The Van Pelt patriarch Larry was at home watching TV. He was despondent over the breakdown of his family. All he wanted was to be back in his sons lives, but his wife, Lacey, ruined any chance of that happening due to her negligence with handling the Lucy situation. He may had harbor more animosity towards his wife more than his sons did, but he got dragged into the drama and he didn't like it.

That particular day, Larry was thinking about his boys, not knowing that they, along with Linus's pregnant wife Audrey, were in town. Because Lacey refused to get Lucy the help she needed, and putting her son's lives in danger from Lucy's rage, Larry couldn't help but feel some resentment for his wife. Lacey walked into the room and said to her husband, "I'm going to Marian's house for a bit. Then we're going to the crematorium to set everything up for Lucy's funeral." (The Van Pelt's wiped out almost all of their savings taking care of Lucy because she couldn't get a job that they couldn't afford a proper burial for her, so they opted for cremation, instead)

"Fine," said Larry. "Let me know if everything's set."

"Okay, what's the matter?" asked Lacey, noticing her husband's demeanor.

"Well, where do I begin?" Larry started. "We could have avoided all of this had you agreed to put her on the proper medication all those years ago when the doctors said she had this problem."

"Oh, don't start this again, Lawrence!" Lacey fumed.

"Oh, we're starting this, Lace!" yelled Larry. "It's been a long time coming. From DAY ONE the doctor told us that Lucy needed to get help and be put on the proper meds so she can be a functioning member of society, but instead, she became an insufferable kid and later woman who was ill-tempered, abusive towards our other kids and her classmates, and don't get me started on her treatment of poor Charlie! It's a miracle the boy turned out a success as an owner of a restaurant. He back for the funeral, by the way. We're lucky HE even showed up for it, Lace. But our boys? We'll be lucky if they show up for OUR funerals!"

"Well what do you want me to do?!"

"ACKNOWLEDGE THAT YOU FUCKED UP WITH THIS, LACEY! MY GOD! Our boys hate us because of this! Don't you see that?! They HATE us! And I don't like it! But, unlike you, I am going to make things right with our boys once and for all! It may take some time, but I think they'll listen to me! I can admit that I messed up, myself, but you can't bring yourself to believe that you failed not only your daughter, but your sons, as well! Linus BARELY has anything to do with us, and Liam even less, IF ANYTHING!" Larry was spent by the time he finished. His wife just stared at him, confused at why he was acting like this.

"Are you done?' Lacey said. Larry just chuckled at that response.

"Sure, I'm done," said Larry, patience now history. "Tell Marion I said 'Hi'." And Lacey left. After she was gone, Larry shot a text to Linus asking him to call him and it was important. He also promised that he wasn't trying to get him or Rerun to go to the funeral. After he sent that text to Linus, he made a phone call to someone.

"Hello, George? It's Larry Van Pelt. Listen, I know it's a bit early and you're busy, but I need you to draw up some papers for me. No, Lacey doesn't know I'm calling you. In fact I want it to be a secret until I present them to her. I'll be down later this afternoon to look them over."

 **NEXT CHAPTER: AN UNEASY REUNION**


	4. Chapter 4

**CHAPTER 4: BEST FRIENDS; BEST FOES**

Back at the union building, Tricia was nervous because her former best friend, Marcie, and her husband and old friend, Franklin, walked in. While she figured Franklin would be friendly and cordial towards her, with Marcie, Tricia didn't know what would happen after being apart for so long. Charlie, Violet, and Roy took notice.

"Relax, babe," said Roy. "Nothing to worry about. Just be cool."

"I'll try, Roy," said Tricia. "But I haven't seen Marcie in years. In the past she refused to talk to me. She wouldn't even tell me to get lost and not contact her again. She wouldn't even do that! I'm not too worried about Franklin, but it's different with her."

"Everything will be cool, Tricia," said Charlie.

"I hope so, Chuck," she said, sweating. And the couple approached the group.

"Hey, Linus and Rerun!" greeted Franklin. "Glad to see you two."

"Hey, how have you been, you guys?" said Linus.

"We've been great, Linus," Marcie replied.

"Never better," said Franklin. "How's the leg holding up, Linus?"

"It took some getting used to, but now it's like riding a bicycle," Linus replied. "Oh, you remember Audrey, don't you?"

"Oh yeah, how are you Audrey?" said Franklin.

"Very well, Franklin," said Audrey.

"I see you're about to be a mother yourself, Audrey," Marcie observed.

"Yep, I'm due any day now," Audrey replied.

"And there's my main man, Charlie!" Franklin said, heading over to his good friend. "Man, it's great to see you."

"Same here, Franklin," said Charlie, giving him a hug. "You're looking well."

"Feeling great, Charlie," said Franklin.

"It's so good to see you, Charles," said Marcie, who gave him a hug and a friendly kiss on the cheek. "How's the restaurant doing?"

"It's great, Marcie," Charlie replied. "We've been really successful out there in Vallejo. Susan and I are talking about expanding to other California cities."

"Wow, that would be great," said Marcie.

"So, Charlie, who's the lovely lady with you?" asked Franklin.

"Franklin, Marcie, you remember Violet who used to live here, don't you?" said Charlie.

"Violet!" said Franklin, now recognizing the brunette. "It's been years! How have you been?"

"Very good, Franklin," said Violet. "I'm glad to see you two are doing well. Charlie has told me about you and your kids and what you've been up to."

"Yeah, between our careers and our kids, the only down time we have is when we're sleeping," joked Franklin. Everyone laughed at the joke.

"Franklin, Marcie, good to see you," said Roy.

"Roy, how have you been?" said Franklin, shaking his friend's hand.

"Hey, Franklin," said Tricia, nervously.

"How are you, Tricia?" Franklin replied, hugging his old friend. "You look well."

"Thank you," Tricia replied. "Hi, Marcie."

"Tricia," said Marcie, coldly. "How are things?"

"Good," said Tricia. "I'm a personal trainer at a gym here in town."

"Sounds like fitting work," Marcie said, stoically.

"How are your two boys?" Tricia asked.

"They're good," said Marcie. "One is in 3rd Grade and the other is in 1st. The oldest just made the honor roll."

"You must be very proud of them, Marcie," said Tricia.

"We are," her former bestie replied. "How about you and Roy? Any kids in the future?"

"Well, I found out I'm not able to have kids," said Tricia, sadly. Charlie, Violet, and Linus gasped.

"Did you know about that?" Violet asked Charlie silently.

"My first time hearing this, too," said Charlie. He looked over at Linus, who shook his head and shrugged.

"Went to the doctor last week to see if we could conceive one day," Tricia continued, "and they told me that I was infertile."

"Sorry to hear that, Tricia," said Marcie, still stone-faced and emotionless. "Well, Franklin and I need to catch up with the rest. Maybe we can talk some more later."

"Sure thing, Marcie," Tricia said. And the couple went and mingled with the rest of the folks there. Tricia was hopeful. At least Marcie was actually talking to her, though not particularly warm to her. She thought there may be a chance at reconciliation.

"You never told us you were infertile," said Charlie.

"I didn't want it to be a big deal, you guys," said Tricia, looking down. "Roy and I tried to have a baby, but nothing was happening. That's why I went to the doctor. To find out what was happening."

"Well I'm sorry you had to endure that, Tricia," said Audrey.

"Me too," added Violet.

"Thanks, guys," said Tricia, wiping her eyes. "Enough about that, let's continue to have some fun. There'll be plenty of drama at the funeral."

"More than you know," Linus thought to himself. He dreaded that day, not because of Lucy being dead. He still felt nothing about that. It was that he would have to endure his parents. It was then he got a beep on his phone. He looked to see who was texting him. He had received the message that his father sent him, wanting to talk to him and Rerun. While his relationship with their mother was volatile at best, he remained in somewhat good standing with his father that he was willing to at least hear him out. He decided he would let him know that he, Rerun, and Audrey were all in town, but would do it after the party.

Larry was at his attorney, George's office a bit later. George had some papers sitting on a table. Larry looked it over and smiled.

"This is what I needed, George," said Larry. "I will be in touch. We are in for the fight of our lives. Well, my life, at least." And Larry left George's office and left for home. He decided to keep the papers inside his cars out of sight from Lacey for now. He would present them to her when the time came.

 **NEXT CHAPTER: KARAOKE NIGHTS**


	5. Chapter 5

**CHAPTER 5: SONGS AND DANCING, ENGAGEMENT ANNOUNCEMENTS, MEMORIES OF LUCY, AND A DORMANT CRUSH WOKEN**

As the evening rolled on, everyone was still having fun. Some had left early because they had to work early, but others decided to stay. Patty fired up the karaoke machine and announced that it was time to sing along to the hits. One by one, each person sang a song. Pig Pen drunkenly stumbled through a Led Zeppelin song, Marcie sang off-key a Celine Dion number, Frieda sang Gloria Gaynor's "I Will Survive" and added some disco dancing to the performance, Franklin did a rap number, Sally sang a Britney Spears tune, Charlie did "Don't Stop Believing" from Journey with Linus, Rerun, and Schroeder, and Violet sang some Nora Jones to Charlie. He was impressed by his girlfriend's voice which was rich and soulful. The rest of the night was playing music and dancing the night away. All agreed that if Snoopy was still around, he'd be joining in on the festivities and being the life of the party.

It was around that time where Sally and Schroeder stepped up to the mic for their big announcement. Schroeder began, "May I have your attention please? As you all know, Sally and I have been together since high school. In fact many of us have been together since high school. We figured it was about this time that we announce to everyone here that while the reason we are here is because we are saying goodbye to one of our own, unpleasant as they may have been in life, but it is also a celebration of our friendship and the love we have for one another. But I especially love this woman right next to me." And he looked over at Sally, who looked at him with nothing but love and adoration for him.

Schroeder continued, "And it is tonight that I would like to announced that just before we came back here to Sparkyville, I had popped the question to Sally, and she said 'yes'." Everyone, except for Charlie, Linus, and Violet, gasped with excitement, as they already knew that they were engaged. "Now we haven't set a date for our wedding, yet, but I am here to tell you, when it does happen, you are all invited to our wedding, and we agreed to come back here to have it!" Everyone applauded the happy couple.

"A toast to Schroeder and Sally, on being engaged," said Patty, holding up a wine glass. And everyone toasted them. Schroeder and Sally sucked in the happiness for them, and they kissed each other.

Later on that night, most folks had left the union building, except for Charlie, Violet, Patty, her husband Mark, Linus, Audrey, Rerun, Tricia, and Roy. They decided to hang out a little longer. Frieda was helping Pig Pen out the door.

"I'm going to take our resident party animal here home," Frieda announced. "It's been great seeing you all again."

"You too, Frieda," said Charlie. "And we'll see you at the funeral." And Frieda and Pig Pen left.

"I actually wondered if Frieda and Lucy remained best friends through high school," said Violet.

"Well, not even Frieda was safe from the misery of Lucy," said Linus. "While there was no big falling out like what happened with Charlie and her, or even a girl fight, they just drifted apart over time."

"Frieda told us later that she just had enough of Lucy's negativity," added Charlie. "While it didn't end in some dramatic fashion, or, like Linus said, a big blow-up like what happened with me and Lucy. They just kind of slowly went their separate ways. Frieda wanted to be around more positive people, and Lucy was anything but!"

"I remember when those two were joined at the hip, especially on the ball field," said Patty.

"That reminds me, Charlie," said Violet. "What ever became of the team after I left?"

"Well, again, Lucy happened," said Charlie. "It was around 8th Grade. We were playing Tricia's team again."

"Ah yes, I remember that day," said Tricia.

"Tricia and her team were creaming us, as usual," Charlie began. "And around the ninth inning we had actually caught up to their team."

"We were pretty much neck-and-neck," added Tricia. "Chuck's team had gotten marginally better than they had been in the past."

"Anyway, we needed a run to tie the score," Charlie continued. "Snoopy was first up to bat. He managed to get to third base. If the next batter was to make it to at least first, the score would have been even. Unfortunately, Lucy was the one who went after him. And we all know how serious she took the game. Anyway, when she went up to bat, she didn't even swing the damn bat! Of course she struck out and she was our last out! And Tricia's team won another game over us. You know what her excuse was? She figured that since we lose so many games anyway, why bother to even try anymore? No sun getting in her eyes, no fumes coming from her glove, none of those stupid excuses she usually made. It was like she even gave up on that. So before the team started blaming me for the loss, even though I wasn't at fault that time, I just told them that before they even quit on me, at least let me beat them to it."

"And the team split up that day," Linus finished, "all because Lucy didn't even want to try to win the game. Charlie had finally had enough of the incompetence."

"While I wasn't great by any means," Charlie said, "I, at least, tried. I may had failed plenty of times, but I put in the effort. All of you did, except for her. Take, for instance, the games the team won when I wasn't playing. It was like Lucy was purposely trying to sabotage me. When you played without me, she was cooperative, wasn't she?" Everyone nodded. "That's what I thought. She had it out for me. She was trying to ruin me even on the field. I swear had she put in that same effort when I was there, we may have had a much better showing. But nope. Charlie Brown can't win at anything. And with her, I had to remain the loser, or her life didn't have any meaning. But then, I just had enough. I pretty much said to hell with it!"

"I never thought you'd quit playing baseball, Charlie," said Violet, caressing him softly as she sat in his lap.

"Well I still watch it on TV, and I did play some softball with my restaurant employees against a rival restaurant in Vallejo, but other than that, yeah I was done."

"I think it's fair to say that Lucy was responsible for a lot of misery around here," said Patty, to which everyone agreed.

"No one was safe from her wrath," added Rerun.

"Well I may have been the only one who never harbored animosity toward her," said Tricia. "We hung out occasionally, but we were never close enough to be enemies. Sure, she got on my nerves quite a bit, but never enough to warrant me hating her with a passion."

"You were one of the lucky ones, Tricia," said Linus.

"Thibault filled that void with me," Tricia joked.

"What is the runt up to?" asked Patty.

"About 5 to 10 in the pen for robbery," Tricia responded.

"I may have seen him when I was locked up," added Rerun. Everyone laughed. It was the end of a fun night.

Later at Frieda's apartment, she was bringing in a still-drunk, but now sobering up Pig Pen. He had his fair share of booze and beer to last a week. She didn't mind, as she and he became friendlier to each other over the years, especially since he was no longer dusty and dirty as he was as a kid. Frieda was petite, yet still curvy. She had an hourglass figure that drove the local men wild. She had gone on plenty of dates, but never got serious with those guys, as they were out for one thing and she was too smart for that. Her red hair was still curly, but now longer than it had been when she was younger.

"Okay, Matty, sit here on the sofa," she said to Pig Pen, who just plopped on the sofa with a big sigh.

"Thank you for helping me, Frieda," said Pig Pen. "I don't usually drink this much."

"It's all right, Pig Pen. Everyone had a lot to drink tonight. It was a wild night, to say the least."

"How come you don't have a boyfriend of your own?"

"Well, I haven't found the right guy yet. How about you?"

"Haven't found the right woman yet, either."

"Anyway, I need to get out of these clothes. I'll be right back. Feel free to turn on the TV."

Pig Pen turned on the TV and watched a funny sitcom repeat that was on. He laughed at the show. He then asked Frieda, who was in her bedroom, "Do you have a roommate here at all?"

"I did for a while," Frieda yelled from her room. "She moved out about a month ago. Said she was going down to New Orleans for 'job opportunities', some shit like that."

"What job opportunities?"

"She was going to work at a B&B on the strip. I told her there are plenty of those here in town."

"So, you're looking for a roommate again?"

"You know anyone?"

"I can check around the office if any of my colleagues are in need of a place to stay."

"That would be awesome, Matty." And Frieda came back in wearing a pink crop top and a matching small pair of shorts. She had long socks on her feet. Pig Pen was beside himself at the sight of her. He knew she looked good, but now she looked really good to him. She sat close to him, putting her arm around him.

"So what are you watching?"

"Some classic sitcom. Nothing special."

"There's a classic horror movie on 37. You want to watch that with me?"

"Absolutely!" And they sat and watched the movie. Frieda cuddled up to Pig Pen, who blushed with happiness. He was happy to be with her for the night.

 **NEXT CHAPTER: AN UNEASY MEETING**


	6. Chapter 6

**CHAPTER 6: FATHER AND SONS**

Linus, Audrey, and Rerun made it back to the hotel where they were staying. Rerun was visiting Linus and Audrey's room before he went back to his room. Linus wanted to talk to him before he went to bed. It was about the text he received from their father, Larry.

"He wants to talk to us?" asked a cautious Rerun.

"Apparently," said Linus. "He also promised that he wasn't trying to get us to go to the funeral in a few days. He said it does pertain to Lucy, and her treatment of us."

"Now I'm curious about what he wants to talk to us about," said Rerun.

"Same here," said Linus. "It's not too late, I can call him if you want."

Rerun thought about it for a few seconds, then he said, "Do it, bro." Linus dialed their father's number. It rang for a bit, then Larry answered on the other line. "Hello?"

"Dad, it me, Linus," he answered.

"Linus, I'm so glad you called me back," Larry said, happy to hear from his eldest son.

"Before we start talking, is mom anywhere around? Because I don't want her to be in on our conversation. Rerun and Audrey are here with me."

"Hey, dad," said Rerun.

"Rerun, how are you, son?" asked Larry.

"Okay, I guess. I've been staying clean and off drugs."

"That's great, Rerun. Anyway, to answer your question, Linus, I'm not even at home right now. Your mother is with your Aunt Marion, taking care of the funeral plans."

"Of course, she is," said Linus. "Okay dad, I should let you know all of us are in town already."

"You are?!"

"Yeah. We got in last night. We didn't want to tell you right away because of what's been going on with us. But even though we're letting you know this, we don't want you to tell mom we're here. Not yet, at least. Can you promise that?"

"Yes, I can. Trust me, I am not on your mother's favorite person list as of recently, due to disagreements about how she handled Lucy's situation."

"Come again?" asked Linus.

"We had some disagreements about how she handled the situation with Lucy."

"What kind of disagreements?" asked Rerun.

"Well that what I want to talk to you about. Which hotel are you all at?"

"The Pine downtown," Linus said. "They have a bar downstairs. It's still open. Do you want to meet there?"

"I can swing that. Give me a few minutes and I'll be there."

"Okay, dad. Rerun and I will be waiting for you. I'll see you then."

"See you in a few, son." And Linus hung up his phone.

"So, you're finally going to talk to your dad?" said Audrey.

"Yeah, I guess we are," said Linus. "Unlike mom, who always made excuses for Lucy, dad seemed to side with us. Mom made it hard for him to make any disagreement stick. I think dad suffered like we did, without the abuse, though."

"Well, do you want me to come with you guys?" asked Audrey.

"No," Linus replied. "This is something Rerun and I need to do ourselves. Just give me a call if you have any contractions with the baby."

"Okay, I'll do that, Linus. Good luck." And the couple kissed each other. And Linus and Rerun went downstairs to wait for their father at the bar.

 **TO BE CONCLUDED…**

 **NEXT UP: PART 3 (THE FUNERAL)**


End file.
